


Unwanted Attention

by BlueAlmond



Series: Defenders of the Insurgency [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Attempted Kidnapping, Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Internal Conflict, Light Angst, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 16:31:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18814708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueAlmond/pseuds/BlueAlmond
Summary: Angelica always knew that with being an actress came unwanted attention. But after the Insurgency, and the end of her career, she thought that part was over.It wasn’t.Or: for a human is more than okay to be concerned when a vampire shows too much interest in them.





	Unwanted Attention

**Author's Note:**

> This story happens around chapter two of ‘A life with no function’ but focuses on other characters. I don’t believe it necessary to have read it, or remember everything perfectly, but they do complement each other.

Angelica always knew that with being an actress came unwanted attention. She’d accepted that a long time ago, but after the Insurgency and the end of her career, she kind of assumed that part was over.

She was wrong. It turns out vampires can be just as pathetic and deranged as humans.

It wasn’t that she hated all vampires. She loathed them as a species, sure, but she never treated them any different from humans when she was working—though if she had to be honest, she didn’t feel any particular kindness towards humanity as a species either. Still, the café she worked at had a wide public, mixed, unlike most establishment nowadays, and patrons could be rude whatever they were. However, regulars usually weren’t. They could be a little too friendly, cross some boundaries when it came to jokes, act as if they knew her more than they actually did, but still, they were no more of a nuisance than most clients, because they would go often and leave even bigger tips.

That was the majority of them.

There was one regular client that made Angelica uncomfortable though. It was a vampire, who looked young, but that meant little nowadays. He always ordered something different, claiming he intended to try everything on the menu, and he always went alone. He stayed for at least two hours every time, and whenever Angelica turned his way, she found him looking. And those eyes, those eyes made her skin crawl.

“Isn’t your shift over? Get going and I’ll take over your last tables,” commented a friend whose shift was only starting. It never happened at first, but lately, that vampire never left before she did. But that made her nervous, the possibility of him following, so Axel taking over was a code that meant he would make sure to keep him busy while she got far away real fast. Or well, as fast as a human could, anyway.

Axel used to be a musical director, but now he was a waiter, just like her. A braver one, though, or perhaps he was simply stupid, because he worked the night shift. He was the one that told her about James’s new play, tactfully one day when her vampire stalker wasn’t around.

He was the one that called him that, as a joke at first. After three months, it wasn’t a joke anymore. He didn’t go every day, but twice a week was noticeable enough to become intimidating. And Angelica was intimidated. But getting a role on James’s play, getting a chance to do the thing she loved once again, after she had thought she never would, was exhilarating enough to drown out all of her fears and apprehensions for a little while. It felt wonderful, to be back on rehearsal. She didn’t have many scenes with vampires, and that was perfect for her, really. It also meant she got to practice with Axel, instead of the vampire’s pianist, and that was great too. She didn’t even know why they needed two pianists, but she suspected it had little to do with capacities and a lot to do with the actors’ comfort.

And that was okay. It was fair. She couldn’t care less why vampires would feel like they needed a vampire pianist, but for humans, that was by far the best they could’ve done. Even if the Council assured them they were safe as long as they donated blood every three months, being surrounded by vampires was still terrifying. They could overpower them in a heartbeat, and every authority in the world was on their side. Angelica used to believe that the corrupted world humans ruled was unfair, but that was nothing compared to the present, where they were no longer at the top of the food chain. It was so strange, to think that vampires were always there, lurking in the shadows. They should’ve been more dangerous then. But nothing could be more disheartening for an entire race that used to be unstoppable than being reduced to cattle.

But it was worse than that, wasn’t it? Not only they had to systematically donate their blood to feed the people that ran the world. They also couldn’t be sure that any day one could decide they wanted to take it directly from them and hurt them. Kill them, if they were lucky. God knew Angelica could never willingly become a pet, but she knew monsters weren’t above taking it anyway. In a world where humans had no voice, slavery didn’t sound like such a stretch. If humans had enslaved other humans, why wouldn’t the vampires? In fact, she was surprised they allowed them such liberties.

Then again, they had closed down most McDonald’s because it made their blood less tasty. Their current ‘liberty’ was a relative thing.

That was all the more reason to feel blessed with the opportunity of getting some of her life back, with James’s play. She was so happy about it that she almost went to work at the café with enthusiasm. It would usually dissolve in less than an hour, because a lot of the patrons were rude, and it was tiring and upsetting to have to serve others with a smile on her face, but even so, most of the time, she still looked at the world with renewed optimism. It had taken a while, but maybe there was a chance to have a real, full, and happy life in that weird world they were inhabiting.

But then it came a reminder of her humanity, one Monday afternoon.

The café closed early on Mondays. It was the one night of the week they didn’t open, which meant one waiter would usually be the one to close. On that Monday of late September, it was her turn. She’d been distracted, relaxed almost, and thinking of the song they would rehearse that afternoon. But even if she’d been completely alert, she probably still wouldn’t have noticed, because that day her stalker hadn’t been there, and because, well, vampires were silent like that. She never stood a chance. Maybe never noticing the monster waiting for her outside was a blessing somehow.

She still yelled, the minute he cornered her and tried to push her into an alley. He was stronger and faster, but the sun was still up, and he didn’t want to make a scene. He had to wear a hat and gloves and almost his entire face was covered with a white mask but she still recognized him, and that only made it all worse.

She knew he wouldn’t just kill her and get over with it fast. He would probably lock her for as long as he could, if he didn’t have anything worse in mind. She knew she was done. And yet, she kept fighting. She tried to get his hat off, or something. Expose him to the sun. She didn’t think she managed to move anything an inch, but he yelped at some point, so she must have succeeded. They were in the middle of the street, on a Monday in late September, at six in the afternoon, but no one was around to save her, and the sun would go down eventually. She was doomed. And all she’d ever done to get there had been getting a job. In those frenzy moments, while she did all she could to hurt the monster that wanted to hurt her, she tried to think back, find something, anything she had done that could’ve encouraged the creature to like her, but there was nothing. She never treated him any different, but she never saw him growing obsessed with another coworker. How random had it been?

How soon would her sisters get the news? Would they ever find her body?

She was almost out of strength, definitely out of breath, when something dragged the monster away from her and smashed him against another wall. The stalker hissed and almost attacked whoever did it, but he froze in his place and stared up hopelessly.

Then, Angelica looked up too. She recognized him. She wanted to cry.

“Stay away from her, you, dipshit. If I ever see you again, you’re done. Are we clear?”

The monster nodded hurriedly. His mask was askew, and his hat was missing. She could see smoke, smell the burnt skin, but the creature wasn’t moving. He looked terrified.  As if he feared her savior more than he feared being burned alive.

Mr. Jefferson stared at him with disdain. There was a human behind him, holding a parasol, only for him. “Good. Now leave.”

The monster ran away at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he was nowhere to be seen.

Then, Mr. Jefferson offered Angelica a hand. She hadn’t even noticed she’d been sitting on the floor until that moment. She took his hand once she was sure she could stand, but her knees still shook a little under her weight. None of them let go until she was certain she wouldn’t fall; he waited for her to confirm she was stable before taking one step back.

“Thank you,” she said then.

“You don’t need to thank me, Miss Schuyler. I’m only glad I was on my way to get coffee. I hate waking up before six, but I had a meeting at four with a human stylist. The café is not open on Mondays?”

“Only until five-thirty, on Mondays. I just had to wait for a client a little longer, but…” she licked her lips and hugged her sides. “I’m glad you like Madison.”

Jefferson snorted. “Yes, I guess we wouldn’t have met otherwise, but I didn’t help you because of him. I helped you because that guy was doing something currently illegal. I don’t like that. And he made other vampires look bad!”

Angelica snorted and nodded distractedly, looking away. “Yeah… he certainly did.”

Jefferson took yet another step back and rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t promise you no one else will ever bother you, Miss Schuyler. But I can assure you I’ll make sure no one after a show ever has the opportunity to. When is time for that, the safety of the humans involved on the play will be one of my main concerns.”

“Thank you. That… that means a lot, Mr. Jefferson.”

“It’s the least I can do. I know that working at night nowadays is not… comfortable, for you all. So I have to thank you, for taking the risk. I hope you consider it worth it.”

“It is.”

“Good,” he nodded. “If you want, my driver can take us both to the theater. Or he can drop me off at the theater, and then take you somewhere else. I would understand if you’d like to go home tonight.”

If it had been any other vampire, she would’ve said no. But that one only had eyes for James, and he _had_ just saved her, so she figured the danger was minimal.

Her stalker would stop bothering her, but once she made it—extremely early since she didn’t have to walk—to the theater, her chest felt heavy again. There were many other vampires that wouldn’t be out of her life anytime soon, including Mr. Jefferson who wasn’t the most pleasant fella to be around of. She didn’t know what James saw in him, but there was no denying he was smitten. How a human could fall for a vampire though truly escaped her. The vampire pianist was there, working with the vampire dancers on one of the most brilliant pieces of the play and she still couldn’t get it. Vampires were… monsters, in their superiority and otherness. They almost didn’t feel like people. How could one interact with one and decide they wanted even more? Even conversation was difficult with those beings that seemed to be made of marble.

A light tap on her shoulder from a too cold finger warned her that one of those creatures had approached her and she hadn’t even noticed. She repressed a gasp, but she was sure her body still tensed enough for the vampire to tell she’d been startled. She turned quickly to glare at whoever that was, and her insides turned when the face she found exuded happiness.

Maria’s smile was blinding, and Angelica didn’t know what to do with herself.

“Hi, you’re early. Do you think we could practice the choreography for our first number together? I’m not quite sure I got it all right.”

Angelica gulped and shrugged one shoulder. “Sure.”

“Great.” She looked like she wanted to say something, but just then, the choreographer, the guy that Jefferson brought from Chicago only for James a few weeks prior, joined them, happy to discuss the number in particular Maria had mentioned to her. Apparently, he had some changes in mind, and it was just delightful that they had some time. It was refreshing, to talk with a human. Maria was still there, but Angelica never felt threatened by her, not even after what had just happened. She pushed the experience to the back of her mind and focused on her work. Dancing wasn’t her forte, albeit people praised her for it. She needed to put a little extra effort, always, to make a good performance, and it was tiring enough that by the time she was done that night, all she could think of was the pain on her muscles and the beginning of a headache. She made it into the apartment she shared with her sisters, wished them goodnight, and almost fell asleep on the shower. Then, as she made it to her bed, she barely had any tears to cry before Morpheus took her.

The next morning, she decided nobody needed to know about it. When someone at the café commented her stalker hadn’t been around for a couple of weeks, she merely shrugged and smiled, seeming pleased with the turn of events, but clueless to their cause, and that was it. And Mr. Jefferson was either considerate or too selfish to ever bring it up again. And that was great for her. She just wanted to sing. She wanted to sing and act and make enough money so she could one day stop working at that stupid café that still made her stomach turn each time she walked out of it, that still threatened with sending her down a spiral of despair and anxiety each time she was the last one with a table and had to close alone. She hated it, but she needed the money, the poor financial stability it promised and the routine it forced down her throat. Then, in the afternoons, she got to do what she liked to do best, which was performing, be it in a stage or the rehearsing room. The truth was that, as soon as she was on her way there, and surrounded by people, she felt wonderful. Joy burst in her veins and her feet got her everywhere faster, no matter how tired she might be already, and nothing could ever tone her happiness down.

Well, almost nothing. Sometimes, someone would suddenly walk too close to her on the street, or she would find someone staring at her too intensely, or even worse, in the theater she liked so much, a vampire would stand too close to a human—but not in the way Mr. Jefferson stood by James’s side, of course—and cold sweat would run down her spine. It was usually nothing, and she would feel silly afterwards, but she couldn’t help it. She could only hope one day it would stop.

Like the time she got to rehearse just in time to see the vampire pianist gesticulating widely while she whispered something to Axel, who looked irritated and wasn’t answering. With the arrival of the human cast, it was time for the vampire to leave. She was no longer needed, not that day, with what they would rehearse, but it took her longer than necessary to disappear. It irked Angelica, made her whole body recoil, especially because of the way she kept trying to get her friend’s attention.

“Axel? Are you okay?” she asked as soon as the vampire was gone.

He huffed and brusquely brushed off his jacket. “I’m fine, Angelica. Please, just…” he shook his head, “just leave it alone. Let’s practice, okay?”

And she would, she would leave her friend alone, of course. It was probably nothing, like all the other things that bothered her nowadays.

֍

After rehearsal, Axel was tired enough that he could keep his mind empty until he made it home. That entire day had been simply exhausting. Maria Antonia de Habsburg was exhausting. Her proximity, her smiles, her glances, and her stolen touches were exhausting. And then there was Angelica; beautiful, strong, terrifying Angelica, who considered him a friend. He had considered her a friend once also. Then he met her little sister and that kind of went to hell. He didn’t need all that guilt and chaos inside his head. He was too busy, too tired, too angry, and he couldn’t even enjoy the opportunity he’d gotten.

Ludicrous. To call an opportunity, to consider a privilege to perform in what used to be his chosen path, his life. The life that the monsters, monsters like that silly girl, Maria Antonia, had stolen.

He needed peace, if only for a little while. He had to do early in the morning, and Washington hated it when anyone was late, even though clandestine meetings on weekdays weren’t exactly the easiest occasion to reach. He entertained the idea of telling Angelica about it sometimes. He thought she was the kind of woman strong enough to fight. But her little sister was right; if she hadn’t sought the resistance back in the first months after the Insurgency, then she probably wouldn’t be interested now, that life seemed to be smiling at her. Besides, she was a good friend of James, and James was clearly smitten with a vampire. How that was even a possibility escaped him, but the playwright had always been a weird little man, and Mr. Jefferson followed him around like a puppy. When he’d first heard that the vampire used to be a fan it truly made sense, but now he suspected the thing went even further. It worried him. But regardless of how many times they had worked together, they weren’t close, and James was a private man. Axel couldn’t just go and warn him of the dangers of the world and the monsters he was letting way too close. Still, he let the thing worry him. It was a drama easier to think of than the one he himself was being sucked in. The one that, no matter how hard he tried to keep out of his mind, kept slipping into his thoughts and dreams and nightmares. It was unnerving, how long fingers would drag his mind away from all the other important things he needed to focus on.

“Fersen! Focus! Did you hear what I said?” asked Washington angrily the next morning, when, after not enough hours of restless sleep, Axel stayed distracted with words and smiles that he ought to ignore if he knew what was good for him.

He straightened on his chair and tried to look apologetic without showing how embarrassed he was. He probably didn’t succeed with the last part. “I’m sorry, sir.”

Washington sighed and rubbed the top of his head. “It’s okay. I know you’re tired, but you can take some time if you need to, boy. We need everyone to be at the top of their game. Otherwise, people can get killed.”

Axel nodded resolutely. “I understand, sir. But don’t worry. I can focus.” It was a lie, but he would do his best. He would be damned if he had to take some time from the most important part of his life because of a demon with skilled fingers.

“You okay, man?” asked Lafayette once the meeting was over, giving him a concerned look.

He sighed. “I’m fine, but thanks.”

He wasn’t fine. Habsburg was getting on his nerves. The play wouldn’t open for at least four more months, and he already couldn’t stand her.

Maria Antonia was a flighty, arrogant, and childish female vampire who also happened to be very talented. He wanted to believe it was all due to her heightened senses, but deep inside, he still admired her. However, for everything else she was plain dumb, and he refused to believe she could be a day older than thirty judging on the way she acted. Then again, maybe it took longer for vampires to mature, since they could live so much longer.

“I got a new job,” he confessed then. “A… better one. A good one.” He rubbed his forehead with a hand and sighed. “As a pianist, in a musical.”

“Really?” Laurens turned to see him with a grin and patted him on the back. “Congratulations, man! I know you miss it.”

“Don’t we all? Miss the things we used to do, I mean.”

Lafayette shrugged one shoulder. “We all miss stuff from back then, I guess. But hey, if so, why aren’t you happy? What’s wrong?”

“I am happy, I just…” he sighed, “it’s not that simple. The play, it has… it’s about a human and a vampire. The writer is human, but the producers are vampires, and half the cast are vampires too. It’s… complicated. And the vampires have their own pianist and she… she’s a pain in the ass, guys, and I can’t stand her.”

“I’m sorry. That sounds shitty.”

“Well, but when does the play open? We’re all going to see it, that’s for sure,” said Lafayette.

Axel chuckled. “Do you even like musical theatre?”

“Oh, Alexander loves it!” said Laurens. “Me? Not so much,” he admitted with a sheepish smile, “but I’m sure it’ll be worth it, if some money will be for humans. It was about time we returned to show business, am I right?”

It was about time a lot of things. Axel had only joined the resistance three years ago, but those guys, Gilbert and John, had been on it since the very beginning, and they were some of the bravest men Axel had ever met. He was proud that they considered him a friend. And he wouldn’t, not for a minute, fathom the idea of them ever discovering the things Maria Antonia had suggested they did, in the death of the night.

That damned little princess would be the end of him, he could see it now. He hated her. He hated the way she moved, the way she talked, the way she complimented him each time they met. He couldn’t stand the way she would listen so carefully, sit so near and admire him, each time he played. He was only trying to do his job, but how could he when the creature of his nightmares with the most beautiful face kept declaring her undying love for him, kept asking for his opinion, his approval, and only ever begged for his company in the way of a friendly ear and never ever dared to make him an offer he couldn’t decline?

He was doomed. He was oh so doomed, because he knew that one day, one not too distant day, he would fall for her. He knew it because each time she played the piano he was left mesmerized, and each time she smiled at him he was dumbstruck, and each time she casually brushed her arm against his, his heart did a weird thing in his chest that he was sure gave away exactly what he was thinking.

But she never pushed. She surely could tell he was giving in to her wishes, but she never pushed.

She was wonderful, that demonic monster with long skilled fingers, and Axel knew, he just knew, that soon enough she would ask for a kiss and he would try to swallow her whole.

“Axel, are you even listening to me?” asked Angelica, frowning.

They’d been discussing a part on one of her biggest songs, but Maria Antonia had entered the room at some point, smiling brightly while a vampire dancer told her a story, and he unavoidable had gotten distracted.

“I’m sorry, my head is somewhere else, just…” he frowned, noticing another vampire he usually didn’t pay attention to, giving Angelica a tender smile meant only for her. It reminded him too much of the ones Maria Antonia had for him. “What was that?”

Angelica folded her arms on top of her chest defensively. “What was what?”

Axel arched one eyebrow. “I saw that.” He nodded towards the door. “That look. What was it about?”

Angelica blushed. “Nothing. Can’t you just focus on what we were saying? I just really feel like in this part…”

Thankfully, Axel just dropped it, because Angelica had no idea what she could’ve said in the vampire’s hearing range to explain what she couldn’t understand either.

They only had two duets, and for the first one, their characters didn’t even interact. Still, they had to practice a lot, almost alone, together. The choreography was complex, if not physically demanding, and the songs required remarkable synchrony on their part, they needed to be attuned, and on a rational level, that was difficult for Angelica. She didn’t want to be _attuned_ with a vampire.

Aside from that, there was another big issue for her: Maria’s voice was a heavenly thing. Angelica had to focus to stop herself from getting lost on the sound. She told herself she shouldn’t be embarrassed. It had happened before, with a couple of extraordinary humans, and it shouldn’t be surprising that a vampire could mesmerize her. They had, after all, dismantled the show business because of how much more naturally talented they were.

But still. She was uncomfortable working with her. Maybe it was because of how they had met, but she doubted it. It hadn’t been anything special, the way they clashed on the street a busy evening all those months ago. All she did was not get her in trouble, when she told the cop nothing was wrong. Even if she hadn’t seen her, James probably still would’ve gone looking for her… right?

She refused to believe he wouldn’t have. There was no way, no way she could’ve missed her chance at having her life back out of something as insubstantial as _fear_. So no, the way they met had nothing to do with Angelica’s discomfort.

But then there was the way she looked at her when Angelica was the one singing. It didn’t remind her of anyone else. Being a Tony Award-winner actress, Angelica had been used to people watching her perform, for years now. She was also an attractive woman and knew what it was like to be stared at simply for that by strangers; she experimented it as a waitress way more often than what she’d like. But Maria didn’t look at her that way. She didn’t look at her the way others did when she sang a beautiful piece though. It was… it was different. It was something else, and it made her uncomfortable not knowing what it meant. It scared her, the possibility that it resembled in any way how Angelica in turn stared at her the few times she simply couldn’t help it when it was Maria the one singing.

“Can’t you stop doing that? Please?” she asked one night, two months prior opening night, when she could no longer stand it.

Maria stared at her in confusion. “Doing what?”

“Fucking staring at me! Please! Aren’t you supposed to be at the back of the stage, doing your own thing?”

The vampire’s eyes widened, and she stuttered in stupor: “I, yeah, I mean, I merely have to go and stay in the back staring at my hands. No one will be paying attention to me, that’s for sure.”

Angelica folded her arms on top of her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Someone’s always looking, on a theater. Don’t be so confident and focus.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to distract you.”

“You didn’t. I just don’t like it when the people I work with aren’t professional.”

She hadn’t intended to be so harsh, but it accomplished what she intended. Maria stopped staring at her during rehearsal.

And Angelica regretted it every single night.

֍

Maria felt conflicted. She couldn’t go and tell James about it, because Angelica was his friend. She wouldn’t go to Thomas either, because, well. Thomas simply wasn’t the best at giving advice. He had his own drama and he was as tactless as they came, and the last thing she wanted was to get Angelica in trouble over nothing. She wanted to tell Aaron, but he was looking more and more tired every day.

She met Aaron four years before his daughter was born, in a time in which his wife wasn’t yet his wife but was sick all the time already. It had been a revelation for her, to learn that born-vampires could get sick. But by now she knew that Aaron was more than used to deal with it, expertly juggling between his job and taking care of his daughter and wife. Now he claimed it was even easier, since little Theo had recently entered kindergarten, but Maria could swear he was losing weight. The last thing she wanted to do was to go to him with her problems, but… if it wasn’t entirely a problem, could it count as a distraction? Because she definitely wanted to distract him of whatever was going wrong.

“Can I tell you something messy?” she asked him one night he had stopped by rehearsal. They were outside, on their way to get a quick snack.

He arched his eyebrows and immediately nodded. “Of course you can! You know you can tell me anything, Maria.”

She pulled her scarf closer to her ears, even though she wasn’t that cold. It was almost warm, for early January in New York City. “I… I believe I have a crush on a human.”

Aaron hummed. “You have a crush on Miss Angelica Schuyler, I know. I’m sure even Thomas caught that, a while ago. So? I hope it is not causing trouble to your work.”

“It hadn’t. I mean, I didn’t think it was. But the other night…” she sighed, “the other night she told me I wasn’t being professional because I would stare at her while we practice. But, I can’t help it! She’s so talented and I…” she shook her head, “I don’t know what to do. My hands could never be as interesting as her.”

Aaron snorted. “But Maria, you’re an actress. I’m sorry but I cannot support you on this.”

“I know.” She buried her hands under her scarf, cupping her own neck. “I know that, I know she was right in calling me out, but… now I can’t help to wonder if she knows the real reason I keep staring at her? What if she knows I like her? I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.”

Aaron bit his bottom lip, entered a small shop and went straight to the candy aisle. “Well,” he muttered softly, “that’s a little more complicated. But I’m sure that if she’s uncomfortable, she’ll tell someone.”

“And what’ll happen then?”

He puckered his lips and stayed quiet, with the excuse of finding the chocolates he wanted. He understood Maria’s worries, but two months short of opening night he wasn’t willing to make any changes. He didn’t know how to help her. He certainly hoped she was wrong, or at least, that Miss Schuyler wouldn’t feel awkward enough to complain, but aside from wishing there was nothing he could do. It was completely out of his hands.

But, he also knew that control wasn’t the only thing that could comfort a person, since it was usually nonexistent. Once he found the chocolates he wanted, he passed his arm around hers and led her to the front desk. “We can’t know that. But I’m sure you’ve never done anything that could unsettle her, Maria. Don’t you worry about that. Now why don’t you tell me what it is that you see in her that you like so much?”

֍

Exactly a week after Angelica made the mistake of calling Maria out, Mr. Jefferson approached her after rehearsal, while everyone was picking up their things, and said: “Miss Schuyler, do you have a minute?”

Angelica inhaled deeply before nodding and waited while the room emptied of all humans and most vampires, until it was only the two of them. “Is everything alright?” she asked.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you just that.”

Angelica frowned. “What do you mean?”

Jefferson sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I just wanted to make sure you feel comfortable with the cast and the musicians.”

Comfortable was a tricky word, wasn’t it? She knew Mr. Jefferson was asking because of that event with the creature outside the café, and there was nothing like that going on with the production of his play. Still, on like every other job, there were some people one just couldn’t get along, and that was alright. She could handle it.

She wasn’t sure she could keep handling whatever the hell was going on with Maria though.

But Maria wasn’t like the monster from the café. She wasn’t a stalker, getting out of her way to let Angelica know she was being watched. She was just a coworker that happened to look at her while she sang. And who made her nervous. But she didn’t make her nervous on purpose, like the other guy. It was just her smile and her hair and the way she moved so gracefully it looked like she was dancing.

Oh, fuck.

Something must have shown on her face, because Mr. Jefferson’s brow furrowed with concern. “Miss Schuyler?”

Angelica took a deep breath and felt her resolve quiver. She was so screwed. She shook her head. “Everyone’s nice.” She swallowed hard. “Really.”

“Are you sure? I just want to make sure you feel safe.”

“I do,” she clarified fast, because it was true. “I feel safe here, really. Even safer than in my apartment sometimes.”

“Okay then.” He didn’t look convinced, but he was ready to leave, and turned on his feet without insisting.

“Mr. Jefferson?”

“Yeah?”

She bit her bottom lip, regretting it immediately, but it was way too late to go back then. “Do you know if Miss Lewis is seeing anyone?”

Thomas arched his eyebrows. “Seeing anyone? You mean, if she’s…” he grinned. “Oh, Miss Schuyler, I happen to know she’s single, but not entirely available. She has a crush on someone, you see. But,” he licked his lips, “you should definitely see for yourself.”

Angelica’s heart almost stopped at that. Could it mean what she wanted it to mean? And did she really want it to mean that?

Yes. Yes, she wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> So, that was a little peek into what the first production of a play that included humans and vampires was like. It also introduced a bunch of characters who have their own stories half written somewhere and will be posted very soon. Stay around, if you’re interested!


End file.
